Advice from service steady

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 238, 5 April 1988, Page 5

Advice from service steady

No one dreamed how much work was involved in establishing an advice service in the Waimarino. That is until a group of people went ahead and did just that. The day that the Community Advice Service opened its doors in Raetihi was memorable for some people. A brand new sign commissioned for a sign writer in Te Aroha failed to show up in time for the opening and instead arrived the following day. The group was later informed that a courier had forgotten to pick it up and that the original

sign had fallen to pieces. To some observers it may have appeared that the service was doomed from the start but in fact volunteers have enjoyed a steady flow of enquiries. "There hasn't been one day that the phone hasn't rung," said CAS chairperson Judy Doyle. The road to opening the service was far from smooth, according to Mrs Doyle. Financial support from the Waimarino in general was not forthcoming, but an initial grant of $250 by Ruapehu Lions enabled the group to connect the all-impor-tant telephone. The onus was then put on the volunteer work-

ers to raise the necessary cash to purchase stationery and other essentials. This they managed through a number of shop days and stalls held in Raetihi during recent months. Since its opening, support from the business sector has been better with pledges of goods and services by various businesses. CAS secretary Diane Pritt said she had no idea of the enormous amount of work involved in setting up the service. For some months workers have been involved in compiling comprehensive files of community service clubs, organisations, support groups and emergency contact

numbers - in fact, any group operating within the Waimarino and many outside the re^ gion. There are still a large number of Waimarino community based groups who have not registered with the Community Advice Service and Miss Pritt is keen to hear from such groups. "It's vital that locals register their phone numbers so we can ensure that Waimarino people who require immediate support can receive it," she said. Callers are ensured complete confidentiality with all enquiries made to any of the 16 fully trained volunteers. Miss Pritt is optimistic that eventually the community health room's interview facilities will be incorporated into the service. "There may be occasions when people would prefer to come in for a chat rather than ring with their enquiry," she said. Miss Pritt said the community service files are constantly being added to. The responsibility of transferring all relevant paperwork onto a computer falls on the 'chairman of the filing committee'. Paul Gaines. For the next six months the Community Advice Service must operate successfully and independent of mother organisation, the Citizen's Advice Bureau. After this time the transition from CAS to

CAB will be a smooth one. The service is currently negotiating with the newly formed Waimarino District Council for use of the former Bulletin office in Ohakune as a second office. Mrs Doyle anticipates it will take at least tfyree months for the second office to be established. In addition to the regular operating hours six days a week, there are also volunteers to man the after hours phone. Although the service's answer phone facility is not yet operational Mrs Doyle said she expects it will be in service this week.